Exploring Benzodiazepine Use Among Houston Arrestees

George S. Yacoubian McFarland and Associates Inc., Silver Spring, Maryland

Blake J. Urbach Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR), University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

Kristine L. Larsen Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR), University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

Regina J. Johnson College of Nursing, Prairie View A & M University, Prarie View, Texas

Ronald J. Peters School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Abstract

While marijuana and cocaine are the two most prevalent drugs among arrestees, benzodiazepine use has surpassed that of opiates in several jurisdictions across the United States. Despite this proliferation, few scholarly works have focused on benzodiazepine use among individuals under criminal justice supervision. In the present study, the authors used Chi-square statistics and logistic regression to identify significant associations between recent benzodiazepine use (as measured by urinalysis), demographic characteristics, and alcohol and other drug (AOD) use among a sample of 1,572 adult Houston arrestees surveyed through the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program in 1999. Compared to nonusers, benzodiazepine-positive arrestees were more likely to be Black, less likely to have a high school diploma, and more likely to be arrested for a drug- or alcohol-related offense. Moreover, analyses indicated that recent barbiturate, heroin, PCP, and marijuana use, as measured by urinalysis, were the strongest predictors of recent benzodiazepine use. Policy implications are assessed in light of the current findings.

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